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Bavarian Premier Markus Söder is likely to attend the Sudeten German gathering to be held in Brno in May, he said after talks with Czech Prime Minister and ANO party leader Andrej Babiš in Munich. Söder noted that the significance of the event is different today than in the past. Babiš said the Czech government views the gathering as a civic initiative and is not dealing with it at cabinet level. The event, taking place in Czechia for the first time, will include commemorative and cultural activities and is expected to draw representatives of Sudeten Germans, Czech politicians and civil society figures.

The government has decided to abolish the National Economic Council of the Government (NERV), Finance Minister Alena Schillerová of the ANO party said after a cabinet meeting. Under the previous cabinet led by Petr Fiala of the ODS, NERV advised on structural economic reforms, including pensions and public finances.

NERV was first set up in 2009 by the government of Mirek Topolánek as an independent advisory body. Its activity was repeatedly suspended and revived by successive governments, most recently in 2020 under Andrej Babiš. Under Fiala’s cabinet, it operated from May 2022 and had 17 members.

The Czech government is set to debate an expansion of the criminal offence of human trafficking to include the abuse of surrogacy, illegal adoption and forced marriage. The proposed amendment to the Criminal Code would also introduce a new offence targeting people who knowingly use the services of victims of modern slavery, and clarify liability in cases where injuries or damage occur during court-ordered community service. The cabinet is expected to reject an opposition-backed amendment on preventing environmental damage, arguing it would increase costs and bureaucracy. The meeting will be chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Alena Schillerová (ANO party ) due to the absence of PM Andrej Babiš, who is visiting Bavaria.

Czechia enjoyed a highly successful opening weekend of the Winter Olympics thanks to gold and silver medals in snowboarding and speed skating. Czech snowboarder Zuzana Maděrová won Olympic gold in the women’s parallel giant slalom in Livigno, claiming the first major title of her career. The 22-year-old rider from Liberec defeated Austria’s Sabine Payer in the final, after three-time Olympic champion Ester Ledecká was knocked out in the quarter-finals.

A little later, speed skater Metoděj Jílek claimed silver in the 5,000 metres on his Olympic debut in Milan. The 19-year-old, dominant on long distances this World Cup season, was beaten only by Norway’s world record holder Sander Eitrem. Jílek, who follows in the footsteps of seven-time Olympic medallist Martina Sáblíková, will also target medals in the 10,000 metres and the mass start.